Process of cleaning animal hair and producing fertilizer.



s-iex Kill toss Reference series.

manic Y. recursion; earners, new Mexico.

CLEANXH' G ANILMAAL HAIR AND PRODUCING- FERTILIZER.

Patented lllar. 6, 191'? mum 1 2 g ig yg Specification of Letters Patent.

No Drawing.

To aZZ whom it may concern Be it known that I, HIRAM Y. MCBRIDE, a citizen of the United States, residing at Ai tesia, New Mexico, have invented arertain new and useful Process of Cleaning Animal Fair and Producing Fertilizer, of which the following" is a. s ecification.

ll iy invention provides for ridding: animal hair, such as wool, of grease or suint and other :t'ru'eign matter and concurrently producing a valuable fertilizer or fertilizer component. The process is ymrticularly adaptable to the treatment of sheep wool and it will he sulhcient to describe the treatment of Wool Withthe understanding that the process is adaptable to the treatment of other animal hair Where the conditions are similar.

Briefly stated, the process consists in applying to WOOl a comminuted, granulated or pulverized absorbent material, such as gypsum, which aha es the animal grease or suint r. by the wool. The Wool then agitated, beaten or otherwise freed the absorbed moisture, sweat and grease and other ex .neous matter, such as vegetable filo'er and sheep manure. The removed ma terial i a valuable fertilizer or a component for the production of various fertilizing compounds by the addition of other mate-- rials. In some cases another cleaning agent.

such as sodium lJ-icarbonate is then applied to the wool torernove train it any remain ng part of the first cleaning agent and also to bleach, or soften, the Wool. This second 1T1Q- For the first cleaning agent I have found that gypsum, either raw or roasted is a "very valuable material. ypsum that l have Application filed tlctober 6, 1915. Serial No. 54,390.

employed for this purpose has mately the following composition:

approxi ceso eu o The gypsum may he used in granulated, ground or pulveriiced form. It desired, the gypsum may he roasted to evaporate a certainpartof the water content. This material is applied to the wool. and absorbs the greasy materials from the wool. The Wool is-then beaten or otherwise treated to discharge the gypsum with its absorbed greases and other extraneous matter contained in the wool, and this extracted material forms a fertilizer or fertilizer component, comprising the following materials having fertilizinc; Value: potassium salts, nitrates or ammonium compounds, calcium compounds, manure and other organic matter or humus, such as vegetable fiber. The WOOl is then treated with sodium bicarbonate or common 75 soda (NaHCO suitably pulverized or w. ground. which extracts the remnants of the gypsum and bleaches the Wool.

By this process the Wool is cleaned in a superior manner and all -lf'oreign matter is removed for the saving of freight charges in shipping. At the seine time-the shrinkage of the actual animal fiber is less than in the ordinary process. Concurrently, a valuable fertilizer is produced and the nuisance of polluting; streams incident to the ordinary wet process is avoidec.

Gypsum is preferred material for the initial treatment of the wool, but in some cases other material capable of producing equivalent'results may he used. Other alosorbent earths or minerals having suitable characteristics may he employed. For the second cleaning agent equivalent pulverulcnt material having more or less bleaching capacity may be substituted for the soda.

Suitable machinery will usually be employed in carrying out the steps of the process although it is capalole oi being carried out by hend operations.

oearcn Home I claim:

1. The process of treating wool, consisting in applying to raw Wool a comminuted, grease-absorbing, earthy material, and then removing thematerial With its absorbed animal greases and other matter extraneous to ized sodium bicarbonate to remove remains of the first-named material and bleach or soften the Wool, and then removing the sodium bicarbonate.

3. The process of treating wool, consisting in applying to the wool finely divided gypsum and then removing from the Wool the gypsum, with its absorbed matter and other extraneous material.

4. The process of cleaning wool, consisting in applying to the W001 granulated or pulverized gypsum, then removing the gypsum, with its absorbed material and other matter extraneous to the Wool, then applying to the Wool pulverized sodium bicarbonate and then freeing the Wool therefrom.

5 The process of cleaning Wool and concurrently producing a fertilizer component,

7'. The process of cleaning \vool, consisting in treating raw WOOl With finely divided, more or less hydrated material, having substantially the formula CaSO,, and then removing the cleaning material with its absorbed greases and other extraneous materials from the W001.

8. The process of cleaning vvooland con-' currently producing a fertilizer component, consisting in applying to raw Wool a finely divided, more or less hydrated material, having substantially the formula (M30 and then discharging from the wool the cleaning material. with its absorbed anlmal sweat and grease and other extraneous mat ter comprising manure, humus and the like.

HIRAM Y. MCBRIDE. 

